Keith R. Billingsley

A Three-Dimensional Model of American Foreign Policy Beliefs

The authors employ a theoretic model that identifies three basic goals of foreign policy—identity, security, and prosperity. Many scholars limit themselves by using a two-dimensional model of foreign policy beliefs which ignores the goal of identity. This research note demonstrates that standard factor analysis of extant data on foreign policy goals over time consistently supports a three-dimensional model which gives prominence to the multilateral—unilateral dimension of identity. The research also shows that this three-dimensional model is superior to one- or two-dimensional models in providing explanation and prediction of more specific foreign policy stances.

The Structure of Elite Foreign Policy Beliefs

T he opinions and policy preferences of American elites play a unique role in the public opinion-foreign policy process (Almond 1950). They both structure public debate on foreign policy and influence the decisions of top foreign policy officials. Given the crucial role that these elites play in the opinion-policy process, it is not surprising that a lack of consensus among the elites on foreign policy since the Vietnam War has triggered special interest in their foreign policy beliefs. Two quadrennial surveys stand out among the many studies that have been conducted since the end of the Vietnam War. One series

Generations, status and party identification: A theory of operant conditioning

Five political generations in the U.S. national electorate are identified utilizing the theory of operant conditioning. The party identification of 11,312 white registered voters from the 1980New York Times/CBS News poll series is examined for these generations within social status (education) groupings.

A Critical Decision in Survey/Feedback Designs: To Identify Respondents or Not?

This study addresses one of those technical questions that has profound implications about which we know so little and assume so much: should survey/feedback designs identify respondents? Convenience and caution usually dictate anonymity. However, this study shows that identifiers and nonidentifiers differ significantly across a broad range of conventional demographic variables, in reactions to many organization policies and benefits, and on an array of scales measuring important aspects of the work site. This shows that survey/feedback designs may lose specificity in their failure to distinguish identifiers and nonidentifiers and that analytic opportunities such as matching individual respondents to other available data are also forfeited. The research findings leave open the search for effective ways to increase the validity of survey/feedback designs.